Renting property

It’s a minefield out there…

Our experience

We have had mixed experiences with our landlords and
agencies and have found that there appear to be two extremes. Our first flat in
Rustington, West Sussex, was fine. It wasn’t over described and had been decorated
well, needing nothing when we moved in. Our relationship with the agents was cordial,
though with the exception of moving in and moving out, we never needed to
contact them.

Our second property though appeared to be right at the other
end of the scale.

This property in Sherborne, Dorset had been described as a
spacious three-bedroom semi with garage and front and rear gardens that had
been well maintained and was our last property to see before relocating to
Dorset for work.

When we got to see the house, it didn’t appear to be in as
good condition as it had been described and it was quite a shock to see the
real thing.

As far as the garage was concerned, contrary to being big
enough for two cars, it wasn’t even big enough for one. Sure you could get a
car in, but then you couldn’t open the car door to get out, unless you were
driving a roller skate.

The grass in the gardens hadn’t been cut in ages and leylandii
had been planted as hedging in the garden between ‘our’ house and its neighbour
and due to neglect, had become huge. The rear garden was just a mass of
dandelions and brambles.

The interior of the house was appalling and despite telling
us that the place would be professionally cleaned before we moved in, we
arrived to find the property hadn’t been touched since the last time we were
there.

The carpets and paintwork were grubby and the gaping hole in
the stud wall above the sink in the bathroom, where someone had presumably
punched it, still hadn’t been addressed. The lino flooring in the kitchen was
disgusting and the bright red paint on the walls of the master bedroom had
still not been neutralised as promised. More distressingly, an entire pot of light-coloured
paint had been spilt over the carpet, leaving a hard stain.

The metal-framed window in the smallest bedroom was bent out
of shape, which meant it didn’t close and the pink vinyl paper in the hallway
and up the stairway was peeling – hanging off in places. According to the
landlord, this was all supposed to have been sorted out, but alas it had not.

It seemed it was down to us to keep prodding to make it
happen and believe me, it was a headache.

Despite numerous attempts, we got nowhere with the landlord
or the agency and unable to tolerate the bedroom décor any longer, we took it
upon ourselves to decorate. It wasn’t expensive since it was only paint and I
repaired and made good the hole in the bathroom wall. We vacuumed the stair
carpet repeatedly and eventually brought it back to something near clean.

Several weeks after we moved in, the landlord replaced the
bedroom carpet, the lino in the kitchen and then sorted out the central heating
– which stopped working.

We were expected to maintain the garden, but I argued that
it was the landlord’s responsibility to get the garden to a condition where
maintenance was possible. He duly arrived months later with a chainsaw and made
a complete mess of the trees, but that was down to him not us.

When we completed the purchase on our current property, we left
ourselves a week or more to come back and clean, to leave the house in a decent
state, but found we had been locked out as the landlord had been round and
changed the locks – even though we still had time left on our contract for
which we had paid rent.

Needless to say, there was a complete difference in the
property when we left compared to what we moved into and when we asked for our
deposit back, the agency said they were keeping it as there was a light in the
garage that didn’t work; that she was sure had been before we moved in.

I pointed out the work we had done and suggested that unless
they wanted me to get in touch with my solicitors as we had been locked out of
the house prior to the end of the tenancy, they had better rethink.

The cheque arrived shortly after that.

Today…

Nowadays, things have changed.

It seems that during the intervening time between us moving
here, restrictions have popped up that make renting more difficult that I have
ever known.

References

These have always been required, but now include background
checks as well and can cost from £50 per person, to £150 and don’t forget the
VAT on top of that. This is money you won’t get back.

Up-front costs

There is also the security deposit which is usually six
weeks rent – or a month and a half. There is no VAT on this and providing you
give the property back in the condition it was give to you, there should be no
issues.

Sometimes, agencies will also charge you for the contract,
which can often be as much as £100.

No Children, No Pets, No Smoking

Smoking

This is a no-no just about everywhere now.

Pets

Pets in so many properties now are another no-no.

Children

One more thing you’re not allowed in many places if you’re renting.

Why children, pets
and smoking?

Prior to this prospective move to a rented property, I would
have expected this to apply only where the property was furnished.

There’s a lot more to damage, a lot more to wear out and a
lot more risk, but in an unfurnished property?

It doesn’t seem logical, after all, we are only talking
cosmetics aren’t we? Surely, they can be rectified. I agree, carpets can be a
bit of a pain, but are easily cleaned. Paintwork too can be clean or refreshed
with paint to bring the quality back and remove any traces of pets, children or
smoking, so why the fuss?

Regardless if you have no children, no pets and don’t smoke,
you will still leave a mark on a property if you’ve been in there over a six
month contract. If you’ve extended and are into a second or third term, that’s
not just likely, it’s a certainty.

Even if you’ve hardly been there, sunlight will change the
colour of the paintwork on walls and if pictures are hung, this will leave
areas less affected and a different tone. Furniture would also cause this to
happen, since very often it is pushed against the walls in rooms to give more
space in the middle.

Smells will also be present, especially in bedrooms. Even if
you’re not there regularly, the lack of airing will cause the rooms to become
dusty and take on a musty odour. Otherwise, it’s likely that you would smell basic
living smells.

This means that carpets would likely as not need cleaning, the
paint refreshing and so forth, which is no more than you would expect if you
had pets, smoked or had children.

So why all the fuss?

Smoking is looked upon as a fire risk, so that might explain
that one, but why ban it?

Why not just ask that if the tenants are smokers, they
provide their own insurance to cover the building as well as clean before they
leave and remove all traces?

This is more understandable in flats than houses as children
can be noisy – as can some pets, but that’s life. Surely that shouldn’t
preclude them from living somewhere. If the house or flat was sold to someone
with a family, pets and a smoking habit, you’d be able to do nothing, so why
should it differ as a tenant?

Children and animals can cause damage.

So we’re back to decorating and making good.

You’re probably going to have to do that anyway, so what’s
the difference?

Anyway, you can’t fight the pink.

Regardless on the restrictions placed upon prospective tenants,
we still have to live somewhere however, once you are in your new house, flat,
cottage or whatever, here are some tips that might be of useful:

You would be well advised to take photos before you take
possession as the condition of the property will likely as not, be argued over
when you try to get your deposit back.

Ensure that the oil tank or gas tank for the central heating
is full – if one exists – before you move in, because it will be expected to be
refilled upon your departure.

Before signing the contract, ensure that the taps all work;
hot and cold water runs as it should, toilets flush and that the central
heating works, if it’s installed.

Ensure that the garden, if there is one, is in a condition
where it should then just be a case of maintaining.

Ensure that imperfections in carpeting or other forms of
flooring are noted and that the agent is aware, so that it’s not blamed on you
when you leave.

Ensure similar with paintwork as it’s not unusual to see
evidence of the previous occupant’s wall-hangings, furniture etc. Don’t let
them blame you for those.

Go through any inventory that is provided and make sure that
everything listed is present or you may be expected to replace the missing
items.

Make any repairs to damage that you caused however small. It’s
much more sensible for you to buy some filler and a few tins of paint to make
good, rather than lose the security deposit – which you will need to move to
your new home, whether rented or otherwise.

If you are a smoker or have friends who smoke that like to
visit, you could offer to repaint where necessary and have the carpets cleaned
before you leave. You might also arrange your own insurance, therefore safeguarding
the property. The landlord might well be agreeable to that.

Remember too that renting need not be an unpleasant
experience, but don’t expect it always to flow smoothly.

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)